we have the same pitch available on different strings. The piano has only one middle
C! Bach’s writing for strings exploits this
frequently by “pivoting” between an open
string and the same note on a lower string.
The first instance of this is in Fig. 3, which
begins at the 13th measure. The open 1st
string alternates with the same note on
the 4th string. This creates a great sense of
movement around one fixed note.
In Fig. 4, the pivot note remains but the
pattern changes and we are into a descending sequence of arpeggios that presents a
real challenge. Remember, this piece was
written around the capabilities—including
the open strings—of the violin, not the
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
3
4 &####
guitar, in an altered tuning. When I first
tried to figure out a way to play this section
I found the notes easily enough, but once
the arpeggios started to descend my fingers
got tied in knots. Playing the section slowly
only made the knots more apparent! I was
trying to play the first part of the sequence
up around the 12th fret, which is where
the fingers naturally land from the previous
bar. It was playable but somehow sounded
clumsy and awkward whereas on violin it
sounded natural and musical.
The solution is in the second measure of
the figure, where the G# note moves from the
11th fret on the 3rd string (measure 1) to the
9th fret on the 2nd string. From there on the
arpeggio sequence is so much easier. As the
open top string remains constant, the outer
notes modulate and then descend one at a
time, with one note changing in each mea-
sure that fits under the fingers. This almost
mathematical type of pattern is typical of
Bach’s compositional style, but hopefully we
can play it in a way that brings out the musi-
cality rather than the technicality of it.
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57
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Fig. 3
Fig. 3
3
4 &####
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11
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0
⁄
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Fig. 4
3
4 &####
Fig. 4
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⁄
11
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